ALL ROADS LEAD TO STATE HOUSE: TRADERS, OKADA BOYS, SLFA ETC.
Long after De Pa would have retired, he would be remembered as De Pa who tried to solve all the problems in Sierra Leone. Last week, a large crowd of Okada Riders matched through the streets of Freetown with the body of a dead colleague knocked down by a vehicle, apparently, as he tried to escape arrest for operating in a prohibited part of Freetown. They were met about one hundred yards to State House by De Pa who addressed them right there and promised to look into the matter.
There were running battles between the Okada people and the police. Some arrests were made.
We are prepared to be wrong on this but we do not believe that De Pa should have glorified that lawlessness with his presence, let alone speaking to this group of people who are key drivers in what De Pa himself called "NETWORKS OF LAWLESSNESS", especially, when in that big State House speech several months ago, he promised to "dismantle" those networks.
Our hearts go out to the family of the young man. We wouldn't comment too much about the circumstances leading to his death because it's still being investigated but we absolutely hate the way the Okada Boys behaved. Let's even say they were right, is that the way to behave? What if all the groups who suffer injustice in this country decide to process to State House with violence daily, demanding audience with De Pa, what else would he attend to?
We note the political objectives behind De Pa stepping down to speak to those lawless Okada people but there are many other democratic channels that ordinary mortals like us are made to languish through without any such direct access to De Pa for instant redress.
Instead of "dismantling networks of lawlessness", those networks have grown increasingly powerful since that big Operation WID speech at State House not too long ago.
Abacha and Bombay Street Market Women - When Mayor Bababode tried to move them from their strongholds in the streets, they simply went on an illegal march to Youyi Building and State House, blackmailing the government about votes in songs. The police stood by and no evictions took place. Mayor Bababode is now taking lessons in Realpolitik. He is looking forward to the next elections. Hahahahaha.
Okada Riders - Like the market women, they remind us daily about the votes which they say took De Pa to State House. That's well and good. But winning election is one thing, running the country is another. De Pa is responsible to even those who voted against him and he has a responsibility to uphold the law. So for a handful of lawless Okada men to believe they can hold the nation to ransom because of elections is wrong, wrong, wrong. De Pa must carry out his promise to "dismantle the networks of lawlessness now." Many in this country are quite fed up with such acts of indiscipline and lawlessness.
By the way, where is this new police complaints body the parliament created recently? May be the Okada Boys need information on how to reach them with complaints instead of disrupting life in Ebola-infested Freetown.
INSAI SALONE FOOTBALL, EVERYTHING NAR DOUBLE DOUBLE
Our national football team will come up against the might of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for the second time in less than a week in Yaoundé. Leone Stars put up a decent performance in the last encounter and the hope is that they will improve on that and leave Yaoundé with some valuable points.
But there was a lot happening to our team off the field that we must put on record. The struggle for control of the national team moved from Battery Street Kingtom and the National Stadium to Yaoundé. That's very shameful - two ministry of sports officials and three journalists were deported because, according to reports, their names were not on the official list supplied by the SLFA. How can anybody believe this is not just a bad dream but a naked fact? This deportation only compounded the nightmare because here's why we believe the Cameroon experience was only a disaster waiting to happen.
Leone Stars traveled with two sets of RIVAL COACHES, appointed by two sets of people who only yesterday were the best of friends but now, just can't stand each other.
The team also had two sets of RIVAL TEAM MANAGERS and players selected by two RIVAL ADMINISTRATORS.
The actual team for the match was selected by one set of coaches while any set of coaches sat in the dug-out to give instructions and make technical decisions. Even Brazil cannot afford such luxury.
The truth is, since one year ago, SLFA has had two sets of RIVAL ADMINISTRATORS - the executive that was controversially elected, now ensconced at Kingtom and the one prevented from being elected. The latter control 70% of the delegates and they continue to meet all over Freetown and on social media, making life difficult for the people at Kingtom.
We have a long way to go, as long as we always allow political expediency to drive our actions in Sierra Leone.
THIEVES IN MINSTER PAT-SOWE'S OFFICE: WHAT'S GOING ON PLEASE
It was a great spectacle on national TV the other day to see minister Pat-Sowe conducting SLBC TV camera around the office and doing a running commentary on what is supposed to have happened when thieves broke into his office. Let's make a few quick points:
1. SLBC news people never disappoint. Their handling of anything having to do with ministers is very predictable. Thieves breaking into a minister's office is definitely news but they went completely over the top. And what was the point of all that running commentary by Pat-Sowe?
2. We can safely argue that with all that movement, they have distorted the true picture at that crime scene - in other words, they have tampered with the crime scene. We're not detectives but we know their skills.
3. Armed robbers and small time criminals are attacking and stealing from ordinary people daily and the SLBC has not responded with programmes focusing on crime and the fear of crime in this country. They stay at New England waiting for such sporadic reports of thieves at a minister's office or home, to satisfy their masters.
At the ministry of Lands for the first working day, we remember how Pat-Sowe caused the arrest of four of our colleague journalists for allegedly "stealing documents" from his ministry, following an investigation that actually targeted the period just before Pat-Sowe came to that ministry.
Now, Pat-Sowe has called in the TV cameras to complain that thieves have raided his ministry. Have you reported the matter to the CID sir?
Our minister even suggested on TV that the thieves were looking for documents. We ask, which documents sir?
May be a quick sacking of non-performing ministers including Pat-Sowe is what is really in the best interest of Sierra Leone.
OKADAS RETURN TO THE STREETS OF MAKENI: ANOTHER CELEBRATION?
We hope Okada Riders in Makeni do not run out onto the streets of our northern headquarter town again shouting that Ebola is defeated and calling on a desperate and tired people to join them in celebration.
On the 29th of September, only the Okada boys of Makeni breached public emergency regulations by causing people to assemble in such large numbers over a wicked lie. How could the people of Makeni be so gullible to believe what some of the most ill-informed and lawless people told them concerning a matter as serious as Ebola?
Having said that, we completely disagree with the smiling minister of the north for banning the movement of Okadas in Makeni while the ban lasted. We understand more than a dozen of them have been convicted by a court in Makeni, so why did Pa Allie impose a blanket ban on okada riding when he knew the consequences of such decisions taken in a state of panic. This guy, Pa Allie panics too easily.
If Pa Allie was the minister of Internal Affairs, he would have banned okada riding in Freetown before the last general and presidential elections when they were at their most lawless state in the capital. Pa Allie should try and get some statistics about how many people are likely to have been infected with Ebola as a result of those wild celebrations. That's the real issue sir!
(C) Politico 14/10/14
